Kindness to those who are happy

Reading from Monday, January 16, 2012 yoga class

To preserve openness of heart and calmness of mind, nurture these attitudes from Sutra 1.33:

Kindness to those who are happy
Compassion for those who are less fortunate
Honor for those who embody noble qualities
Equanimity to those whose actions oppose your values

Kindness to those who are happy

"Imagine that you are meeting a friend whom you have not seen in ages.  You pack a picnic and head to the park to catch up on what is happening in her life.  Finding an ideal spot, you spread out a blanket, lay out the food, and begin to enjoy the tasty dishes and the wonderful company.

After the first two bites, both body and heart feel nourished.  Just then a man sits down very close to you and lights up a big, fat, juicy cigar.  Puffing happily, he leans back in the grass with a big grin, allowing the billowing smoke to waft directly into your nose and onto your food.

Before taking any action, observe your mind.  Are you annoyed, even angry?  Who is he to ruin my perfect time by polluting us with cigar toxin!  Is judgment creeping in?  Are you thinking how unconscious he must be to do something like that!  Is he doing it purposely to annoy me?

Your blood pressure has probably risen, and your immune function is already weakened--not from the cigar toxin, but from your own emotions and thoughts that have taken control.

Now, give the heart a chance and look again at the man and the situation.  He seems happy, relaxed, and at ease with the world, enjoying his treat.  Do you want to spoil the mood and your own special time by responding to the situation with anger and self-righteousness?  Those two emotions in particular can take hours to recover from.

Instead, try opening your heart and allowing kindness to meet his happiness.  With a kind vibration, let the man know that you are happy he is enjoying his expensive cigar.  Since you also would like to enjoy your meal, would he mind directing the smoke in another direction, or even better, enjoying it in another location?  His response will often match the energy as well as the words you put forth.

Most situations in your life are not as dramatic, yet the same remedy will apply.  Try overriding the mind's indignation with the heart's desire to love everyone.  You may be amazed at the results."
                                    From the book "The Secret Power of Yoga"  by Nischala Joy Devi

For the next three weeks I will be taking each of these attitudes from Sutra 1.33 listed at the top of this post and sharing more from this wonderful book.  This book is a woman's (or man's :) ) guide to the heart and spirit of the Yoga Sutras.  I ended class with the following quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. as we celebrate his birthday.

                 "Darkness cannot drive out darkness--only light can do that
                        Hate cannot drive out hate--only love can do that."